Cubs keep their cool, beat Reds 6-0

Jeff Vorva

Monday

Jul 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMJul 30, 2007 at 2:53 PM

CINCINNATI -- When things are going badly for the Cubs, a gaffe like umpire Joe West taking a home run away from Alfonso Soriano - as he did in the second inning Sunday - might have triggered a domino effect.

When things are going badly for the Cubs, a gaffe like umpire Joe West taking a home run away from Alfonso Soriano - as he did in the second inning Sunday - might have triggered a domino effect.
For instance, starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano, who was on base at the time, could have been so ticked off at the call that he would have imploded on the mound the next inning. Skipper Lou Piniella could have been incensed enough to dropkick West into the stands and earn a lifetime suspension. And Milwaukee could have whipped St. Louis to extend its lead over the Cubs in the National League Central.
But things are going so well for the North Siders these days that having two potential runs become none didn’t matter.
Zambrano kept his cool and combined with Will Ohman and Bob Howry for a 6-0 victory over Cincinnati in front of a Great American Ball Park crowd of 33,061.
Piniella kept his cool, too, and Derrek Lee delivered a two-run, seventh-inning homer off Matt Belisle for a 4-0 lead, a shot that prompted the Reds pitcher to say, “It was like a swift kick between the legs.”
Another kicker for the Cubs? St. Louis earned a come-from behind victory against the Brewers, meaning the Cubs (55-48) are just a measly half-game out of first place.
Life is good for the Cubs. Soriano wasn’t sore about the blown call afterward because they won. But he was disappointed that he had golfed a low pitch over the left-field fence, only to have West rule it a ground-rule double after a fan dropped the ball onto the field.
Piniella argued, and the umpires huddled, but the call stood. Ryan Theriot then popped out to end the inning, and the chance to add to a 2-0 lead was lost.
Replays showed the ball was clearly in the stands when the fan touched it, and Soriano should have had his team-high 19th homer of the season.
“It snuck in there,” Piniella said.
“I felt a little bad because it’s not easy to hit a home run,” said Soriano, who went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases. “When you hit it and they take it (away), it’s uncomfortable, but we won the game. I think they got confused. I asked them if they could look at a replay, but they don’t do that in baseball. If they saw the replay, they would have changed it.”
Zambrano (14-7), meanwhile, became the majors’ first 14-game winner and is inching closer to his career high of 16 wins. He allowed just two hits in 7 1/3 innings.
After retiring pinch-hitter Norris Hopper in the eighth, Zambrano was favoring his right leg. His right foot had been hit by a hot shot in the sixth inning, but he said his right calf was cramping and it had nothing to do with the foot. Zambrano also had a blister on his right foot, but said he’d make his next scheduled start Friday, when the Cubs host the New York Mets.
Zambrano, 9-2 with a 1.41 ERA in his last 11 starts, also had three hits and is hitting .291.
Lee, who has three homers in his last four games after hitting just eight in the Cubs’ first 99 contests, is starting to feel his power coming back - a good sign for the team, which has been up-and-down in the heavy-hitting department.
The Cubs, who went 4-2 on the road trip, are to start a seven-game homestand tonight. Philadelphia and the New York Mets, second and first in the NL East, respectively, will be visiting in what could be an important week where the wild-card playoff berth is concerned.
The Cubs went 2-5 on a road trip to Philadelphia and New York in May - back when things weren’t going so well - and fell to 18-21. But they have claimed 23 of their last 32 games and don’t want a letup now, as they have a chance to move into place for the first time this season.
“We’re trying to keep an even keel,” Lee said. “This is what we’ve expected of ourselves. We’re doing what we’re supposed to do.”
More Cubs coverage can be found at www.dailysouthtown.com/sports.

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